Looking Back on Fall 2015

We are putting a wrap on the semester, but not on our study of Soviet culture. The class worked with the editorial team to select twelve posts representing the chronological span and topical range of the course — from our initial forays into the literature and painting of the Realists through the study of life in communal apartments in the late and post-Soviet periods, with stops devoted to Futurism, romance and a new national anthem during World War II, the guitar bards of the Thaw, and much else along the way. These posts are featured in the Greatest Hits Section below.

We’ve also kept the posts selected for the “Iconoclasts and Conservatives” category up front, and invite visitors to explore these discussions of issues and cultural artifacts that served either to significantly alter existing paradigms of expression or shore up more long-standing tendencies.

Each time we blogged during the semester exemplary posts received a “Red Star.” Those posts are also featured on the front page in the bottom section and by clicking on the Red Star category.

Your editors thank everyone who contributed to the site over the term for their goodwill, enthusiasm, and interest in learning more about Soviet culture. We welcome visitors to the site and hope you find much of interest and value here as well.